Trek Bicycle has announced the signing of two of Belgium’s most exciting riders to their 2014 WorldTour roster; Kristof Vandewalle and Jasper Stuyven. The pair of join the Trek team coming off strong seasons that have seen both riders spend time atop the podium. While Vandewalle brings a wealth of experience racing at the highest level, his new young teammate will look to build upon his past success with the Pro Continental Bontrager Cycling Team.
Vandewalle, Belgium’s 2013 time trial national champion and a key member of the 2013 World Champion Team Time Trial Omega Pharma-Quick Step squad, will be making the jump to Trek Factory Racing for 2014 joining fellow Belgian national champion, Stijn Devolder. “I’m hyper motivated about this. Signing for the Trek team means taking the next step in my career,” said Vandewalle. “I had a good time in my previous team, but I like the opportunity to develop and to have the occasional chance for myself in small stage races. I feel like I have been too often recruited for a team’s sprint train, whereas Trek would like to see me go for a good overall place in selected, short stage races that have a time trial. I’m also particularly looking forward to working with Trek and Dirk Demol, because I hold both in high esteem and know they are dedicated to helping me progress. For me this is very important.”
Joining his fellow countryman, Jasper Stuyven will be stepping onto the WorldTour stage aboard familiar equipment, having raced for the Trek-equipped Bontrager Cycling Team for the past two years. One of the strongest members of the Bontrager team, Stuyven has honed his skills stateside racing against WorldTour talent in 2013’s Tour of Utah and the Tour of California, two of the US’ biggest events. Stuyven’s most notable finish of 2013 came early in Portugal where he claimed the overall, points, and young rider classification at the Volta ao Alentejo. “I’m really happy to stay within the Trek family,” said Stuyven. “I have built nice relation with them and I didn’t see any reason to go to another team. Being part of such a strong Classics core is huge for me, so I’m very excited and cannot wait until the season starts. As a young rider, I’ve enjoyed developing away from the pressure of the Belgian cycling circuit. I’d like to learn from all the experienced riders in this team, and I look at what Bob Jungels has achieved in his first year as a pro as an example of what I might be able to accomplish.”
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.